


Hazy

by livxxmarie



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Sad with a Happy Ending, Unrequited Love, idk if thats a SUPER happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-12
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-07-23 12:35:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7463535
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livxxmarie/pseuds/livxxmarie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My friends have all left me,<br/>Away on the breeze.<br/>There's a crushing silence where love's a disease.<br/>Like a fever it grips me,<br/>Like a lover it holds. <br/>Scared of getting older, <br/>Scared of dying alone.<br/>I'm in a blue haze.<br/>- Haze by Amber Run</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hazy

Link stared at Rhett from across the two queen beds. The silence echoed throughout the room. There he stood, running an anxious hand through his blonde hair, looking down at the floor to hide his face.

It wasn’t what was supposed to happen. Link never wanted the conversation to happen at all but Rhett kept _pushing_ and he wouldn’t just let it go. So Link broke. He broke down, told Rhett everything, feeling relieved and terrified all at the same time. It had been at least four minutes of silence now, Link’s breathing shallow as he swallowed back more tears.

It wasn’t hard to tell the thoughts that went through Rhett’s mind. That was what happened when you knew someone for three and a half decades; you knew their moods. The world around the blonde completely stopped as he took in the information and Link was simply waiting for a response he had dreaded for twenty years but always knew would come. Rhett’s voice was quiet and there was a hint of anger behind it when he finally broke the thick silence.

“I don’t feel the same.”

Link nodded at this and wished he hadn’t seen it coming.

“I know.”

He waited a moment, willing Rhett to say something else, something that would confirm their friendship still stood. He knew that the man had too much on his mind at this moment to consider comforting Link, but he stayed an extra few seconds just in case Rhett would act in selflessness and relieve him of some of the sadness he was walking out with. The moment never came.

“I’m gonna go for a drive.”

Rhett didn’t move his eyes off the ground when he nodded. Link shoved back the urge to do something, to say something, to take it all back. He wanted to scream, wanted to yell and curse and cry. He wanted Rhett to say he loved him back and that it was all just a lie and that he didn’t know how to handle it at first but he truly _did_ feel the same. He wanted to beg for Rhett’s love, wanted to beg for their friendship back, wanted to apologize. He wanted to punch him or insult him to take the sting off of his own pain.

Instead, he walked out of the room, leaving his phone on the bed and grabbing a sweatshirt before heading into the cold fall night. He contemplated grabbing a room key, but thought better of it and reached for his wallet instead. He’d be buying his own room tonight.

The sky was a midnight blue and Link looked up at it as he stood outside of the hotel, finding Linkstar immediately and shutting his eyes immediately. Tears soaked his face for the second time that night. He rubbed them away quickly and got inside of the rental car, driving until the sun rose. He lost count of how many times he stopped for gas. He had left at midnight and the drive from Nashville to Buie’s Creek was eight hours long. It was now six in the morning, and while his eyes felt tired, he knew if he tried to sleep he wouldn’t be able to.

He drove for the next two hours with an empty feeling in his soul. He passed the elementary school where he met Rhett and contemplated stopping, just for a moment, to try and remember how it felt before he loved him more than a friend. Thinking better of it and not wanting to attract attention to himself, he passed it without a second glance. He had a destination already in mind and was set on getting there with enough time to cry before he had to start heading back to Nashville to make their flight home.

Link wondered if he had a home waiting for him, wondered if Rhett had already called Christy and Jessie and told both of them everything. It wouldn’t surprise him if he got back to California and found all of his stuff lying on the front lawn, the house locked up and his keys not fitting in the door.

He parked the car where they used to park his old truck when they went here in the summer. He sat himself in the cold grass and stared next to him at the spot that Rhett would normally be seated. Instead of feeling empty, he allowed himself to feel the pain again. It had eaten at him for years and he had done his best to keep it from everyone around him. It was almost a relief not to have to hide it anymore, though the part that killed the most was that he had destroyed the most important relationship of his life and he wasn’t sure how to get it back, if he even could.

He cried in silence, cursing himself for being so selfish. He didn’t get to have it all. He knew from the start that he couldn’t have a life with Rhett and a life with his wife. He knew he could only have friendship from Rhett, that that’s all Rhett wanted and that even if it wasn’t, there was nothing they could do about it. Now it was clear why he held it in. All the years that he wished he would just buck up and tell him, all of them were wasted. He had finally done it, finally told Rhett exactly how he felt, and he knew that his biggest fears had been right. He lost everything.

The spot around him seemed to mock his naivety, reminding him of his old daydreams about spending the day here as a couple, kissing in the privacy of the forest, Rhett’s hand in his own.

He had always imagined an _I love you_ , or at least something of the sort coming from the other teen’s mouth.

Now they were nearing forty and Link had already expected the worst. At least he wasn’t too let down. For once, his pessimism was proven to be helpful rather than cynical.

Link felt on the verge of another breakdown and instead of holding it and trying to calm himself down, he let it go. He sobbed into his hands, his whole body shaking. He felt ridiculously pathetic, coming to their old spot just for the sake of it being something he shared with Rhett when things were simpler. He felt broken and useless, wishing there was some way to take it all back.

“Link?” The voice that interrupted his hysterics was familiar and soft. He hadn’t heard the car pull up or the footsteps behind him, too focused on his own self-pity. He didn’t want to see Rhett, didn’t want to get his heart broken even further. He didn’t respond.

“Link, I’ve been so worried,” Rhett started, stepping closer to him.

Link didn’t look up from the ground, tears still flowing freely. He didn’t bother wiping them away.

“I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t know what to say. And you looked like you were waiting for me to answer and I didn’t have an answer yet.” Rhett’s voice was thick like he had been crying. Link tried not to feel guilty. “I have an answer now.”

“You don’t have to have an answer,” Link replied, his voice hoarse.

“I don’t care if I don’t have to have an answer. I have one,” Rhett placed his hand on Link’s shoulder. “Look at me. Please, Link.”

Link obeyed, turning his head up to meet Rhett’s eyes. He noticed how much he had aged. It didn’t look bad on him. Still, the thought of age frightened him as it always had. The bags under the man’s eyes were darker than usual and Link wondered how he must’ve looked.

“I do.” Rhett was whispering now, eyes pleading for forgiveness. “I do love you, Link. I’ve always loved you. I’ve loved you since we were young. I’ve loved you since I’ve known you.”

Link stared back at him, disbelieving. He shook his head.

“You don’t have to love me just to hold us together. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I’m telling you this from the bottom of my heart. I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you. _Christ_ , Link, I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. But I shoved it down so long ago, pushed it away once we got married.”

Link’s eyes flickered to his wedding band and he sighed softly.

“I love you, Link. I’m not saying we have to do anything about it. But I do love you. And if you want to find a way to make this work, to make _us_ work, whatever we are, I do, too.”

Link’s eyes welled with tears again and he let out a broken sob as he fell into Rhett’s arms, wishing he could stay there forever.

“I don’t know what to do,” Link choked out, wishing he didn’t sound so small. Rhett held him tightly against himself.

“I don’t either, bo.” Rhett’s voice was also thick and hoarse, filled with tears. They stayed in that position for a few moments, holding each other as they fell apart.

“I’ve always wanted you,” Link whispered into Rhett’s shirt. “I’ve always wanted us. But I don’t want us more than I want my family. I want them equally.”

“So do I. I know what you mean.”

“I’m glad you’re here. Right now, at least.”

Rhett pulled back slightly so he could kiss him properly for the first time. It was short and simple, but it glued the pieces of Link back together in one moment.

“I can’t promise you forever. But I can promise you for as long as we can without ruining everything.”

Link nodded at this, knowing that their relationship was probably short-lived. It didn’t matter, though. When they failed and gave up for the sake of their families, it would all be worth it. No matter what happened, Link knew he would have Rhett. That’s all that truly mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> that was angstier than expected sorry friends this song was so beautiful and heartbreaking.  
> i honestly planned on making it an even ANGSTIER story but i'm a sucker for a somewhat happy ending.


End file.
